This is an invitation to the Memorial to the Montreal Massacre (& Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women).

The memorial will be taking place Thursday, December 6th from 4:00 – 4:30 pm at TRU in front of Old Main
(common area near the basketball courts).

Please join us in honouring, remembering, and reflecting on its significance.

EVERYONE is invited to attend the memorial and reception.

An Open House at the TRUFA Office, House #1 will follow (all genders welcome).

A brief history: The memorial marks the day that a lone gunman stormed into an engineering class at L’Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal on December 6th, 1989. He ordered the men to leave. He then shot and killed six female students in the room before killing more female students and a staff person in other parts of the school (14 women in total). He then turned the gun on himself. After 20 minutes, the largest mass murder in Canadian history was over.

Why a National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women?

As well as commemorating the 14 young women whose lives ended in an act of gender-based violence that shocked the nation, December 6 represents an opportunity for Canadians to reflect on the phenomenon of violence against women in our society. It is also an opportunity to consider the women and girls for whom violence is a daily reality, and to remember those who have died as a result of gender-based violence. And finally, it is a day on which communities can consider concrete actions to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls.

November and December are important months for raising awareness of gender-based violence in Canada and around the world. In addition to the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women on December 6, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women takes place on November 25 and marks the first day of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, which ends on December 10, with International Human Rights Day.

We are also called to remember the full intersection of gender-based violence in all the spaces we move in. Join us to express your commitment to ending gender-based violence – in all its forms including missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, two-spirit peoples in Canada, violence against people who challenge the gender binary, against sex trade workers, violence on campus including everyday acts of racism.

All members of the university—faculty, staff and students—are encouraged to attend this event, joining and leaving the gathering as their schedule permits. The broader community is also welcome.

About Us

TRU Talk serves as a community news portal and a communications hub for Thompson Rivers University Faculty Association members. The website seeks to inform TRUFA members about current Association matters, to promote the exchange of ideas and to foster open debate on issues with a wide spectrum of views.

Opinions expressed on TRU Talk are those of the authors, and ought not to be perceived as necessarily representing the views of the Faculty Association unless so specified.

TRUFA members are invited to submit letters, news items, and brief articles.